Platelet-rich blood plasma is required for use in various medical procedures. This blood product is particularly effective due to its growth promoting features, which assist greatly in wound healing and bone regeneration. Presently, blood plasma with a high concentration of platelets is utilized for dental implants and other periodontal procedures, facial reconstruction, oral or maxillofacial surgery and chronic wound care. In order to obtain a required concentration of platelets, a blood sample normally must be centrifuged in order to separate the blood into its component blood products (i.e. plasma, red blood cells and platelets). The platelets, typically in a form of a white “buffy coat”, are then separated from the blood sample and sequestered in concentrated form through aspiration. Conventional aspiration techniques often fail to provide a satisfactory concentration of platelets. Cross-contamination between the constituent products is frequently encountered. We have determined that the need exists for a cost effective apparatus that facilitates the sequestration of platelets while minimizing cross-contamination between blood components.
To address the foregoing concerns, we developed the centrifuge tube assembly disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,835,353. That apparatus incorporates one or more aspiration pipes into the centrifuge tube. Although that apparatus constitutes a significant improvement over the prior art and achieves superior results, we have determined that the need exists for an even simpler and more reliable design.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,179,391 features a centrifuge tube having a pair of buoys with differing densities mounted within the tube. The buoys float between and are intended to separate adjoining layers of constituent blood components after a blood product has been centrifuged and separated into those components. As a result, platelets are held in an intermediate layer in the tube between the buoys. An aspiration tube formed for the upper buoy allows the platelets to be aspirated from the tube. This apparatus is fairly intricate and thus quite expensive and complicated to manufacture. A substantial need exists for a far simpler and more efficient centrifuge tube for separating and aspirating blood components.
Indeed, an improved centrifuge tube is needed for separating and aspirating a host of biological products, including but not limited to blood products, bodily fluids, stem cells, bone marrow aspirate, etc. for use in both medical and veterinary applications. It is important for such products to be separated into constituent components quickly, effectively and without causing cross-contamination of those components.